Digital Battle Online
by Darkiceflame
Summary: When Alex took his friend Maddie to the arcade for the release of the most highly anticipated video game released in years, his life changed forever. Turns out that the things in the game-the world, the monsters, the battles-are all real. Now Alex and his friends must uncover the secret of the Dark Virus and save the world before a dark evil from the past destroys it!


_Lady Ophanimon sat in her Rose Chamber in pain as her soul slowly withered away. It had been a tiny slip; some sort of toxic spine or thorn which made it past her armor. But even that had been enough._

_The virus had corroded her mind, warping her thoughts and appearance until she bore no resemblance to the fair angel who helped govern the Digital World._

_Now after hours of unheard agony, her horrible metamorphosis was complete. Her Fallen form contrasted her beauty with icy clarity and hatred._

_As the angel sat there in pain, another figure slunk into the room, though this one was smirking in the shadows._

_"The virus has taken effect perfectly," it chuckled. "I think we're just about ready for our plan to proceed. What say you, Dark Lady Ophanimon?"_

_The tortured figure looked up slowly, her now-visible eyes glinting a crimson red. "Indeed. With Ophanimon out of the way it's time for our plan to come to fruition."_

_The dark figure laughed. "Indeed. Those human scum will rue the day they tried to destroy me." It stepped over to a nearby window. "But first, There are a few things we need to collect if our plan is to work. Prepare the Dark Virus."_

_The being which was formerly Ophanimon smiled. "Luckily, we seem to have come into an abundance of "volunteers" for the virus._

_The dark being cackled. "Indeed. Then let's get started..."_

**Two Months Later**

"Alex, wake up!" a loud voice called out, jostling a teenage boy from sleep. "It's time to leave now!"

The boy in question groaned in annoyance at having his dreams ended; but knowing that it would be worse to keep Maddie waiting, he rolled out of bed slowly.

Standing, Alex was five feet nine inches tall with tangled black hair which stuck out at odd angles due to its date with his pillow. He was pale-a sign that he stayed inside far too much-with deep gray eyes and an ever-present grin. Unfortunately, said grin was currently suppressed beneath the scowl he wore whenever someone woke him up.

"I'm not gonna say it again, get your butt out of bed and get ready!" Maddie called through the door. "Your mom already left for work so we'll have to walk to the arcade now."

Alex ignored her, pulling a black and gray striped T-shirt on along with a pair of faded blue jeans. Taking a glance out the window, he noted the dark sky and decided to grab his black hoodless jacket as well.

Maddie was about to pound on the door once again when it opened suddenly. Alex stepped out grinning and swept past her to the bathroom. Grabbing a comb and toothbrush, he attempted to scrub his teeth and get his tangled locks under control simultaneously.

"You're gonna choke on something," Maddie warned with a grin. "Just because we're in a hurry doesn't mean you have to do everything at once."

Maddie had been Alex's next-door neighbor since they had met in first grade ten years earlier, along with Alex's best friend Eli. She was taller by only a fraction-a fact which deeply bothered Alex-with shoulder-length chestnut hair and sea green eyes. For this special occasion she was wearing a navy long-sleeved jacket over a green tank-top which bore a blue symbol taken from the online game she loved to play. The symbol looked a bit like a yin yang design with a second ring around it and two swirling arms extending to either side.

Alex rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth and dragged the last snare out. "Don't worry, I'm an excellent multitasker. Plus, I'm almost as excited about this as you are."

Maddie laughed as he raced back to his room for his shoes, leaving the forgotten comb wedged in his hair. "I'll be out front when you're ready. Don't keep me waiting long."

Alex nodded absently, wrenching on his black trainers with their white rubber soles. In moments he was out the door and the two were walking.

"Where's the fire?" Maddie joked. "Seriously Alex, you don't need to get so hyped up about it. You're not even a fan of Digital Battle Online."

"I figured I would try something new," Alex replied. "Plus, from what you've told me it's supposed to be a lot of fun."

The game to which they were referring was an online game which many kids in town had been playing lately. Digital Battle Online possessed a world of online monsters fighting an ever-present war. The idea was that the players would log in, take control of a random monster and begin fighting with different abilities and attacks. For the last two months its beta version had been a huge success, and the full game was being released today to be played at the biggest arcade in town.

For whatever reason, Maddie had jumped onboard with the game quickly and had been chatting about the release for the last two weeks. Part of why Alex was excited to play was so that she would just stop talking about it.

"There it is; the arcade is straight ahead," Maddie pointed out, shaking Alex from his thoughts. "I wonder if Eli will show up today."

Alex snickered. "You're always wondering if you're going to see him, aren't you?"

Maddie frowned. "Sh-shut up, idiot! He's just a nice guy is all."

"Sure he is," Alex grinned. The two were interrupted as they reached the front door of the arcade. Maddie handed over the tickets which would get them into the premiere event.

As he had expected, Alex hadn't walked ten feet before someone stepped up to shake his shoulder. Turning, he found Eli grinning, holding up his own ticket. "Glad you two could make it. I was starting to think you wouldn't show up."

Eli had been Alex's friend best friend since his family had moved to Washington years before. He had short-cropped blond hair and bright blue eyes, accompanied by a bright grin which seemed to set everyone around him at ease. He usually wore a black vest (Currently missing, to Alex's curiosity) over a royal blue shirt along with a black fedora which was always tipped slightly to one side. Alex was always telling him that it looked idiotic that way, but Eli never listened.

"Not on your life!" Maddie greeted him warmly. "When does everything start?"

Eli gestured over to a row of game consoles. "You just log in over there and all the servers will come online at the same time. Everybody is going to start playing at the simultaneously."

"Cool! Everyone will get to start together then," Maddie deduced. "As a big group."

"Exactly. And the servers come online in..." Eli checked his watch. "About five minutes. Luckily I saved you both screens next to mine, so we can all be together."

The two followed Eli to the side where three empty seats were covered by the missing vest. Eli took the one to the far left, offering the middle to Maddie and leaving the far right for Alex. Each of them used the logins they already had and were delighted to have them be accepted.

"Once they flip the switch, the game will start immediately." Eli explained. He gestured to a platform at the front. "And up there, a member of the game's staff, Hideko Ishida will make an appearance. He's going to give a short speech before the launch."

"We don't have time for a speech!" Maddie insisted. "I'm gonna play this game if it's the last thing I do!"

_She's really in to this game. It's almost scary how much_ Alex thought. Out loud he said, "Actually, I think it would be cool to hear from this guy. He worked on the game himself, right?"

Eli nodded. "He came all the way from Japan for this demo. The least you can do is show some respect."

Maddie humphed and crossed her arms. "Fine, I guess I can wait a little more." Inside though, it was apparent that she was still impatient.

The hum quieted soon enough as a man in his 20s stepped up to the platform. He wore a dapper white suit over a red dress shirt and black tie. his dark brown hair was short and parted to one side, and his brown eyes were accented by a pair of wire-frame glasses.

"He doesn't even look Japanese," Alex pointed out.

"His dad was American, but married his mother while living in Japan before he was born. That's why his name is Japanese and he speaks the language, but he doesn't have an accent." Eli explained.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming here today to support the official launch of the game," Mr. Ishida started. "As I speak, players across the globe are waiting to log on for the very first time for the full experience of Digital Battle Online. And what a unique experience it is too. Unlike most online games, Digital Battle doesn't have a system of building up points or increasing your character's skill. Because of its nature, the game is always ongoing, even when players aren't logged in. As you know, with the system you choose a random monster already in existence each time you play. Your monster may win some battles and lose others, and yes, may even die at war. What makes the game special is that each monster is an individual, and can grow and change independently over time. The monsters' stats and levels are never erased, so every battle means that partner will gain points that keep. But if they are defeated, that specific monster is lost forever."

"Just like casualties in a real war," Alex noted. "A soldier can gain all the combat experience in the world, but if he dies all that effort goes to waste. Harsh."

Ishida continued. "Those who have played since the release of the beta version two months ago know that there is a ranking system in the game. Although you don't always get to keep your monsters, your rank is determined by how well you direct your monster in battle. As of the full release, the top 50 players in each region will receive special bonuses for their efforts, and some may even be promoted to the position known as a Digital Tamer. Being a Digital Tamer is a great privilege and should be used wisely, not abused. Your job is to keep the games clean and ward off any sort of abuse or hacking. In return, you can receive benefits, such as staying connected with an individual monster while offline, and even having the chance for a monster you've raised to be reborn. I personally hope that at least a few of those in this arcade can reach such a lofty goal."

Mr. Ishida grinned. "But I've revealed enough of the game's secrets already. The clock is about to strike release time, so I hope you're all ready." He walked over and waited over the button that would bring the system online. "We're counting down the seconds..."

"Oooh, I can't stand this anxiety!" Maddie declared. "It's like Christmas, Halloween and my birthday all rolled into one!"

"Twenty seconds," Ishida declared.

"Calm down, Maddie," Eli sweatdropped. "You've gone red as a beet. If you stress yourself too much, you could pass out and miss the launch."

"Not helping!" The girl snapped. Anxiously, she slid her cursor over the start button.

"Ten seconds," Ishida informed them all. Behind him, a large red display began counting down, creeping ever closer to zero.

Alex tensed. For some reason he felt an odd anxiety, as though something important was going to happen.

_But that's stupid,_ he thought. _It's just a game, right? It isn't even real; how could it be important?_

"Five," Mr. Ishida announced, his hand wavering over the button. "Four. Three."

Eli sat, his eyes glinting in preparation.

"Two."

Maddie was certain a vein was about to burst in her forehead as she waited unbearably for him to finish.

"One."

Alex sat, trying to remain calm and collected. The feeling was growing stronger with each passing nanosecond; a pulsing behind his temples which was building ever in intensity.

"Let the games begin!" Ishida roared, bringing his hand down on the button.

As one, the three teens clicked their cursors, the system coming online even as they did. That tiny fraction of a moment, possibly the most important one of their lives, blossomed into fruition. An unexpected pulse of light burst from two of those three screens, sending the confused players spiraling into nothingness.

It would be several more seconds before the last of the three took a moment to look around and notice that the others had vanished. It was almost as though they were never there in the first place.

-X-

Hookmon was growing tired of waiting. He stood before the ancient shrine of the Agumon Village waiting for his servant to arrive.

Soon enough, his patience was rewarded. From around a corner, a BlackGreymon staggered to meet him. The poor dinosaur Digimon's breathing was labored and his head hung in shame as he approached.

"It is time, and you are late," Hookmon informed him. "Now then, I want you to retrieve the artifact inside this shrine so I can infuse it with your Dark Virus. And be snappy about it!"

BlackGreymon said nothing-whether out of anger at how his actions were being forced or because he lacked the capacity to do so, Hookmon neither knew nor cared. Instead, the tortured creature moved reluctantly and entered the shrine.

"Come on now!" Hookmon urged. "In order to reveal itself, the artifact must be summoned with Greymon fire! That's why I ensnared you with my Dark Seal and forced you to digivolve in the first place!"

In response, BlackGreymon called out "Nova Blast!" and launched a ball of black fire into the altar within. The flames were apparently accepted, as they became a rich golden color while the altar's center began to shine.

"Now all that stone needs is a touch from one of those pathetic humans and we can infuse it with power!" Hookmon chuckled. "Speaking of which, according to Dark Lady Ophanimon they should be appearing any minute across the planet. She assured me that there would be at least one close enough to activate it."

Hookmon sat down on a stone and grinned. "Soon enough, we'll have our prize."

-X-

Alex's first thought after landing was _What a surprise! I'm alive!_

Then the world erupted into pain as Maddie landed on his head.

"What a surprise! I'm alive!" Maddie exclaimed loudly. "I have no idea what just happened but that was awesome!"

"Great," Alex grunted from beneath her. "Now would you kindly get your butt out of my face?"

"Alex!" his friend exclaimed in shock, jumping up. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

"I'll live," the boy groaned as he sat up. "Hopefully, that is."

It was now that he took the time to look around and take in his surroundings. All around them was grassland, save for the outline of what might have been buildings in the distance.

"Hold on just a second!" Maddie cried out, following his gaze. "That's impossible, but I recognize this place! We're just outside the Agumon Village in Digital Battle Online!"

"The Whogumon Village?" Alex asked in confusion.

"It's an area in the game full of these adorable dinosaurs and little pink ball things. This has to be some kind of virtual reality simulation!"

"Virtual reality?" Alex asked dubiously. "That's nothing like how the beta was."

"But that was only a test version," Maddie reminded him. "This must be some big secret they've been keeping under the hood; the game is totally interactive now!"

Alex looked around. "If this is still the game, where is Eli? Shouldn't he and the other players be here too?"

"They probably just showed up somewhere else," Maddie decided. "We'll find him later. Right now, I wanna see how VR makes those adorable Koromon look!" She took off at a run toward the village.

"Wait Maddie!" Alex called out. But by then it was too late to stop her. With a sigh, he began following after her.

It took only minutes to arrive at the village, and the two began looking around in earnest for signs of life. Oddly enough, they found nothing.

"Look at these," Maddie noted, pointing out what appeared to be a pair of leather bracers. "They must be designed for one of the monsters to wear-there aren't enough finger straps for a person and they're way too big." She handed the bracers to Alex. "Hold on to these; they may be important later."

Alex sighed and continued to follow her. "Since when am I the carrying guy? Where am I even supposed to put them?"

But Maddie's attention was already drawn to a spot on the ground. Following her gaze, Alex could see what appeared to be a person lying on the ground.

"Look, he might be hurt!" Maddie exclaimed. Grabbing Alex's hand, she dragged the confused boy over to the figure.

Closer up, Alex could see that the person wore an oversized pirate hat and seemed to have no hands. In their place, his right hand was a hook, while his left looked like a cannon or blunderbuss.

"Help...me..." the person groaned. "My name is Hookmon and I must get to the shrine immediately..."

"Alex!" Maddie snapped, moving to help Hookmon into a standing position. "Don't just sit there with your teeth in your mouth; you heard the guy! Help me carry him!"

Alex recoiled, still not believing what he saw. "How do we know we can trust him? His hands are deadly weapons for one thing! Plus if you're right and this is just part of the game, he isn't even real!"

Maddie glared at him. "That's no reason to be heartless. If he needs help I say we give it." She pointed off to the side. "I think that's the shrine there. Just help me take him there and if he attacks us we'll leave him."

Alex sighed. "Fine," he hoisted Hookmon up and the two began helping him toward the shrine. Neither noticed the Digimon's grin, nor the fact that BlackGreymon was hiding in the trees nearby.

Once they were inside, Hookmon pointed to the altar. "Children, one of you must touch the edge of the basin. The stone that will heal me will then be awakened."

Still cautious, Alex walked over in preparation to do so. He took a deep breath. "That's all I do? Just touch it?"

Hookmon nodded. "Indeed, but hurry! There is great evil nearby!"

Nodding, Alex slowly brought his hand down and tapped the altar. The flames within grew higher as something appeared at their center. All at once the fire vanished, leaving behind what looked like a red statue. The figure resembled the upper body armor of an ancient warrior, accented with red and black. For some reason, Alex instantly felt drawn to it.

"Careful, human," Hookmon called. "Only a Digimon must touch the Spirit Stone. It would consume your soul unless I contain its power."

Alex nodded. "Alright. Note to self: Don't touch glowing statue thing."

Hookmon stumbled up to the altar and hesitantly grabbed the stone. He didn't burst into flames or fall screaming to the floor. Instead, he suddenly stood up straighter. With a grin, he turned to Alex. "You naïve little human. Thank you for completing my plan."

Before Alex could register the betrayal, Hookmon smacked him across the room with his cannon. "I'd love to stay and explain my plan, but my mistress Dark Lady Ophanimon is anxious for my return. Goodbye you stupid creatures." He hurried outside into the light. "BlackGreymon! Come, you must infuse the Spirit Stone with the Dark Virus immediately!"

"No!" Maddie raced after him. "You horrible person! Pretending you needed help then tricking us? That's just awful!"

"But it was so easy," the pirate Digimon grinned. "When you saw me lying on the ground, you practically rushed to help me. How pathetic!"

By this time, Alex was beside her. He could see that Hookmon was now joined by an enormous blue dinosaur creature. It looked similar to one he remembered from the game, but the colors were all wrong.

"Just to do our job thoroughly, BlackGreymon, I want you to destroy them first. They're starting to get on my nerves anyway."

The dinosaur glared at him, looking like he was struggling against the order. "I...will...not take...a life...for evil..."

Hookmon lifted his hook to display a black insignia on it. "You have no choice you foolish beast. As long as I have the Dark Seal you are forced to obey me!"

"So now you're going to make him kill us against his will?" Alex demanded. "You're a monster!"

Hookmon laughed. "Finally you're realizing that. Then again, we're all monsters here." He frowned. "I have no time for this. BlackGreymon, destroy them now so we can leave with our prize."

BlackGreymon struggled, physically straining against the order. "Go...to...h-"

In rage, Hookmon aimed his cannon and shot the Digimon, causing him to roar in pain. "Shut up! You work for me now!"

"No he doesn't!" Alex shouted, stepping closer. "How dare you do this to that poor creature? BlackGreymon, there is always a choice. You don't have to fight us!"

BlackGreymon howled as Hookmon frowned. "He's lying! I have total control here!"

"Then why are we still alive?" Alex countered. "If you had total control, BlackGreymon would have roasted us "pathetic humans" right when you told him to. But that's the difference between you and him. He refuses to be controlled by evil because there is goodness in his heart, and a thousand of your stupid seals can't take that away!"

Hookmon roared in anger. "BlackGreymon, kill them!"

BlackGreymon took a single look at Hookmon and began to shine. "No."

Then he shattered into a cloud of data.

Hookmon sighed in anger. "Now look what you've done. I needed a Black Digimon descended from AncientGreymon to corrupt this Spirit and now you've broken my only volunteer." He lifted his cannon toward them. "I guess I'll just have to kill you for spoiling my fun."

"Think again!" a voice called form behind him. "Spitfire Blast!"

A green fireball struck Hookmon in the back, jarring him and causing his shot to go wild. He turned to see a small black lizardlike Digimon there.

"Impossible..." Hookmon breathed. "You're still alive?!"

The Digimon smiled. "I'm BlackAgumon, and destroying me is a lot harder than it looks." He turned to Alex, "Human! I need your help if I want to beat this punk! Quickly, toss me those Geo Bracers you're carrying!"

Alex looked down and realized he still had the black leather bracers. Nodding, he tossed them to BlackAgumon who quickly put them on.

"Our Courage has broken your seal, Hookmon!" BlackAgumon declared. "And now I'm going to take that Spirit Stone back!"

"Not a chance, kid!" Hookmon bellowed. "Captain's Cannon!" He fired several shots from the barrel of his gun, but BlackAgumon was too quick, dodging each one.

"Kid!" He called. "Not to inconvenience you, but if we want to beat this guy I'm going to have to digivolve!"

"Great!" Alex replied. "...How do I do that?"

"You need an item to catalyze the evolution!" Maddie supplied.

"A...what?" Alex sweatdropped.

"Like a digivice or something!" She explained. "But the game didn't give us any!"

"This isn't a game, lady!" BlackAgumon shouted. "And you're going to need to think of something because I can't dodge forever!"

"Stand still! Liquid Bullet!" Hookmon fired a blast of water toward BlackAgumon who dodged it once more, but only barely.

Alex nodded to himself. "Fine, I've already done a few impossible things today. Why not one more?" He held his hand out straight.

_Please, if anyone can hear me, I need a way to help BlackAgumon digivolve. I have to protect him now from Hookmon. I can't let him get hurt any more. So give me the strength to help him digivolve!_

With that, a flash of light burst into existence. A glowing sphere formed just above Alex's outstretched hand. The sphere became translucent, revealing a small device hovering within. It was round, somewhat like an egg, with a screen in the center and three red buttons to either side. At the bottom extended what appeared to be another half-sphere with a data port tucked underneath. The white device was accented with crimson red around the edges, gleaming even brighter within the ball.

_Think carefully, Alex_, a voice seemed to project form the device. Whether anyone else heard it, he did not know. _Taking this digivice will set you on a path from which there is no turning away. You can still back down._

"BlackAgumon needs me," Alex declared. "I'm not going to sacrifice his life for my own fears. I have...to take up...my Courage!"

With that, he grabbed the device from the air.

**Digivolution Sequence Online.**

"BlackAgumon, Digivolve to..."

BlackAgumon rose into the air as his body became a wireframe model. Data flew from all around, adding to his arms, legs, head and main body. He became larger, stronger, much like he had been before, but quite different in some ways. The carapace on his head developed three long curving horns-one on each side of his head and one pointing straight out over his nose. He grew massive as jagged spikes grew from his shoulders. His arms themselves grew more massive, gaining incredible strength and power.

"...GeoGreymon!" The new form roared.

Maddie frowned. "GeoGreymon? I've heard of that one." She quickly pulled out her guidebook for the game. "Here it is: GeoGreymon is a more powerful Dinosaur Digimon which appears when Agumon digivolves while wearing the Geo Bracers. His Mega Flame and Horn Impulse attacks will send a shock to your system. I've never seen one that blue color before, but it's probably because he digivolved from BlackAgumon instead of Agumon."

"Yeeehaa!" GeoGreymon declared. "I haven't felt this much power in... well ever, actually." He turned to Hookmon. "It's over for you. Hand over the Ancient Spirit which you stole right now."

"And if I don't?" Hookmon asked, raising his cannon.

"Then I'll have to take it from you," GeoGreymon said simply.

Hookmon sneered. "I'd like to see you try. Super Shooter!" He launched a giant fireball from the barrel, sending it flying toward GeoGreymon.

"Horn Impulse!" GeoGreymon roared. He tucked down his head and launched forward in a dash, knocking away the fireball and flinging Hookmon quite a distance away.

"This is the last time you'll use Digimon for your own purposes," GeoGreymon declared. "Mega Flame!" An enormous fireball, much larger than the ones Hookmon had been firing began to build up inside his mouth.

"Liquid Bullet!" Hookmon cried desperately in an attempt to douse the flames. His efforts were fruitless as the green-tinged blast evaporated the water bullet when it was still quite a distance away. It hit Hookmon full-force, causing him to explode into a cloud of data.

"You...haven't...won..." Hookmon's final words emanated from the cloud. With a final sigh the data sunk down and was absorbed into the Spirit Stone.

Grinning, GeoGreymon reverted back into BlackAgumon. "And that, kids, is how to win a fight with style."

Alex simply stood there for a moment, utterly dumbfounded. He looked down at the device in his hand, then back at BlackAgumon.

Whatever that voice had been, it was right. His life was never going to be the same again.

-X-

"Give me your report," Dark Lady Ophanimon demanded as she sat on her obsidian throne. "Was the mission a success?"

Before her, a winged Digimon-DemiDevimon-kneeled humbly. Or as well as one could without possessing knees.

"I regret to inform you, my lady," the DemiDevimon rasped. "That Hookmon was destroyed and the Spirit Stone not retrieved. In addition, one of the humans has formed a partnership with the BlackAgumon Hookmon was controlling. He has a digivice."

Before the pathetic creature could utter another word, a jet of green flame flew over Ophanimon's shoulder, destroying DemiDevimon in an instant.

"The fool," a voice spoke behind her. "Not only did he fail, he allowed a Digidestined to survive."

"Hookmon's orders were not to kill the humans," Ophanimon reminded her partner. "The Master allowed me to bring them here to awaken the Spirit Stones. After that, I may yet have a use for them."

The Digimon stepped into the light beside her. He wore a heavy red robe with a pointed hood that covered his face, save for his ice-blue eyes. "The Master is a fool. We have dealt with humans before. The more you try to use them, the more likely they will revolt. That is why he was defeated ten years ago."

"The Master is a visionary," Ophanimon rebuked. "He has been planning this for a decade; he knows what he is doing."

"Kerpymon and I are not so sure," the cloaked one frowned. "There are ways to awaken the Spirit Stones without putting us at risk."

"It's a game of cat and mouse," Ophanimon explained. "Why destroy the humans without a fighting chance?"

"People will die," the cloaked one insisted.

"People always die, Daemon. It is a simple fact of life. Digimon, on the other hand, can live forever."

Daemon turned away in contemplation. "I will follow the Master's orders for now. But if I see any weakness or flaw being exported by the humans, I will destroy them Spirit Stones or not."

Ophanimon laughed. "I would expect nothing less from the Lord of Wrath. Do what you like; the consequences are yours."

With that, she turned toward a glowing map on the long table before her and began to study it. A minor setback would be no problem at all. Soon enough, the plan would be complete.

Then of course, all the humans would die.

**ANNOTATIONS**

-Ophanimon's transformation.

Originally, the transformation scene was longer and more detailed, but I scrapped a majority of it because I was pushing the chapter past a length I was comfortable with, even before these annotations. My goal here is to keep the chapters feeling about the length an actual Digimon episode would, and I hope I've done so with this one.

-The Master

Yes, this is _that_ type of story where the main villain is introduce early but not truly revealed until later. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the classics.

As for who it is, I can't reveal anything yet. Let's just say that I'm a big fan of VemonRemix's Digital Crisis series.

-Alex

Designing this guy bugged me. I'm pretty sure his exact description has been done somewhere before, but I have no clue when or where.

Alex, if you haven't guessed already, is our generic dragon-partnered gogglehead. (The goggles will come later, don't worry) Although the crests themselves probably wont be significant to the series, Alex's attribute is Courage (If it wasn't obvious enough before.)

-Maddie

Maddie was originally going to be a generic "girly-girl" until I gave her character a personality makeover. Now instead she is a total tomboy (We'll see if that works well or not.) Her Attribute is Friendship, which is the crest on her shirt.

-Eli

He's not in the Digital World yet. I'm getting to him.

-The Game

Digital Battle Online is meant to seem like a generic MMOG, but it's a lot deeper than that. More info in later chapters.

-The Arcade

In the story, the consoles on which all the games are played are universal-menaning any game available to the arcade can be played on them.

(They also seem to be able to create inter-dimensional wormholes to the Digimon world, but we'll get to that point later.)

-Hideko Ishida

He he...you'll have to wait on this one.

but the person who finds the reference in his name gets a virtual brownie.

-Hookmon

Another virtual brownie to anyone who gets the reference in Hookmon and BlackGreymon working together here. (Hint: Think Digimon World 3.)

-GeoGreymon

He's a blue version of GeoGreymon. that is all.

-Daemon and Kerpymon

Remember these two. They are significant later.

**AN: That's all for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed!**

**I am Darkiceflame.**


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